


Seven Years of Magic

by CommanderSideswipe, JaybieJarrett



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: American Wizards, Disabled Character, F/M, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2013-09-11
Packaged: 2017-12-13 07:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/821620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderSideswipe/pseuds/CommanderSideswipe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaybieJarrett/pseuds/JaybieJarrett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the years following the second wizarding war, a new seven year adventure begins for two students.  This time there are no dark lords, no tournaments and no war, just struggles between wizard society and the muggle world, making and losing friends, and learning magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm planning on revamping this chapter a bit giving more characterization for Lizzy and her family. Also working on some illustrations to use throughout the story.

**Prologue**

“I wouldn’t have gone to England if I knew we were never going back.”  In a psychiatrist’s office at the beginning of summer, former fifth grader Elisabeth Douglas slumped against a leather chair biting her lip.  Sure she was happy to be out of elementary school- or as they called it here, primary school.  But all it meant was going on to some high school where she would be starting all over again anyway.

 “Back where?”  Lizzie wanted to roll her eyes, but that would be rude, and she didn’t know if her lazy left eye would do the same as her right.  Doing a chameleon impression would just be weird, and that was as bad as being rude.

 “To Wilmington” she said.  “Mom keeps saying that we’re going to go back to visit but we never do.  It’s too expensive”

  “It is a whole ocean away.  Maybe she means when you’re a little older.” Excuses, excuses.  She didn’t say anything though just nodded.  “How have you been doing in your new house?”

  “It’s not really new anymore.”  Lizzie said, “its okay.   I have my own room now.”  Her doctor raised his eyebrows.

“Oh?”  he asked, “I take it you like that. When did this happen.”

 “When I blew up my window…” She wanted to wince as she said it, fearing that her doctor would scold her just like her parents did.   

   “You…..what?”  he asked.

  “It was an accident.  Kelsey was going to have a sleepover with Sarah and she never lets me go to those. Sarah’s _my_ cousin too.  I got really mad and then the window just cracked and the glass flew out. “

    “What makes you think you did it?”  Dr. Davis asked, looking puzzled.

    “Because I was thinking angry thoughts.  Stuff always breaks when I get really angry and think bad thoughts.  Like when I want to hate Kelsey for being so mean to me” She added quickly, “I don’t hate Kelsey though, but ….I feel like I hate her and then something just breaks.  It happened to the TV screen, and then it happened to the carpet and now it happened to the window. I was always mad at someone. “As she described the strange events her voice rose as became more upset describing them.   “In school Anthony called me stupid and then the lights went out before it could hit him.”  Dr. Davis stared at her, a bit stunned.  “Not that I was going to hit him….I just thought about it. But it made the lights go out”

 “Wait a moment.  The carpet…broke?”  he asked. He was looking at her rather confused. 

 “No, it caught on fire.”  She said.  “Just a little one though. You can ask my parents…it really freaked Mom out. It happened exactly when I was angry. “  All of these things happened when she was upset, which was when she had bad thoughts.   So the only thing that made sense to her was that she was making them happen with her thoughts.  “Things always happen when I get really angry lately.  What if I make a person explode?  Then I’ll be a murderer!”

 “You’re not going to make a person explode, Elisabeth. Can I speak with your parents for a little bit?”    

 “Okay…..they’ll just say the same thing.”  She shrugged but then got up.  The doctor’s words weren’t enough to convince her that her thoughts weren’t dangerous.  She hoped that he would be the one to give her medicine so she wouldn’t have these thoughts.  As she waited for the ‘adult talk’ to be over she got out her game boy and immersed herself in Pokémon Yellow.  Once the appointment was over, and they stopped by the local pharmacist (because Lizzy wanted to be sure her medicine would come in tomorrow)   they returned home.

 “How was the doctor’s?” Kelsey met her the moment they walked in the door.

 “It was okay.”  Lizzy didn’t want to look her sister in the eye after talking to the doctor about her being mean.  “I got my medicine.”  She avoided Kelsey for the rest of the night, until the guilt went away.  For the next few days things passed without incident.  Lizzy made herself keep from getting angry by reminding herself that something bad would happen.

 Her parents wouldn’t let her just stay on the TV, computer or Gameboy all the time.  They said she had to go outside.  Kelsey had her friends to go to, and Nicholas, her older brother had his.  Lizzy just liked to hang out with their friends, because a lot of the kids her age in their neighborhood were hard to make friends with.   They didn’t care about cartoons and Pokémon as much as she did.  She didn’t really know what to talk about them about.  Just like they didn’t care about her stuff she really didn’t care about….whatever it was they liked.

 There was also the fact that she couldn’t really figure out how you were supposed to talk to someone. She had learned through trial and error that being herself- that is going up to someone and asking them what cartoons they liked and invading their personal;bubble- wasn’t the right way to go about it.  There were some rules about what normal people did and it seemed like no one told her.

Also there were a few kids who liked talking with her, but she soon found that some of them really just liked to listen to the way she spoke and the funny-sounding American words she used. She tried to sound like them, but hearing her voice using their terms just sounded so awkward.  It just made her feel all embarrassed. She refused to use some of them (like “telly” it sounded like a word for little kids.  TV just sounded cooler) and others she occasionally tossed in to feel like part of their group.  

  She usually found herself out playing in the field beside the playground. There was a whole bunch of woods and she would go in armed with a stick and a skateboard.  She would make her own imaginary world in here.  It was lonely sometimes, but at least it meant only her rules applied.  She made that world her home every afternoon she could get away.  She rode her bike to the field near the playground , thinking about what was to happen when summer ended.  She would be going to some school her brother Nicholas had gone too, and she would have to start wearing uniforms.  

Her father’s workplace had some benefits including admission to a particular school, a bit like a private school (only they didn’t call it that here which was so weird).  The school had a program for ‘special needs’ that her parents had been told was pretty good.  Lizzy found herself skeptical of that judgement.  It may have been good for someone else’s kids but she wasn’t someone else’s kids.  They would either not be enough help or they would baby her and treat her like she didn’t know anything.  

When she found her favorite playing spot she made up her own perfect school that taught everything she was interested.  It was an arts academy that had classes about all sorts of artistic and craft stuff , from drawing to making jewelry and the uniform was something she made up.  Most importantly there was no math class, just calculators.  

In a few hours the heat became hard to deal with, and Lizzy found herself feeling terribly thirsty.  She recalled that they had lemonade powder back at the house, and freshly picked strawberries.  That seemed like a perfectly good reason to go home.  She could always draw some things about her fantasy school anyway.  Maybe she could get Kelsey into it too.   As she came home , she noticed kids playing around in the street  as the sun beat down.  She estimated that it was nearing four o’clock.     

“Hey Nick! “ she called as she rode into the empty garage, “Where are mom and dad?”

“They went out.” he said, “They said they’d be back in an hour or two. You got a weird letter.”  He handed her a letter with word written in bright green ink.  

_Ms. Elisabeth Douglas_

_Bedroom at the end of the hall_

_Number 12, Elm Court_

_London,_

“Whoa....they know where my bedroom is”   She muttered.  She carried it into the house staring at it, ignoring her brother’s warnings to let their parents take a look at it.  They could take a look after she did.  If they were threatening her, then she would show it to the police.  She cautiously opened the letter and looked at what was inside.  

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_.

Her eyes widened.  

Witchcraft,  according to what her Sunday school teacher had taught her, was bad.  She quickly threw crumpled the letter up and threw it away.  When she saw Nicholas again she told him it was just a joke  and not to bother their parents about it.  She would spend the rest of the night watching Pokemon and playing video games.  Try as she might she couldn’t get the thoughts of the letter out of her mind.  It weighed on her heart like guilt.  For the next few days she  tried to keep it a secret and bury the memory but it kept coming back up.  It gave her a stomach ache to hide it, and there was a part of her that kept telling her she should say something.  

But she didn’t want to talk to her parents about a letter from a witch school.  They would freak, or yell at her, she feared.  For a week she avoided them when she could and kept quiet at dinner time.  Her parents started to get annoyingly concerned about it, and tried to talk to her.  Church made her stomach squirm.  

Sometime later she stayed out all afternoon playing in the field and hoping to avoid them, while thinking of what to do about the letter.  She reminded herself over and over that it was a dumb joke.  She returned as the  sun was near going down.  Maybe.  She left her watch at home so she wasn’t sure.  Dinner would be starting soon and her parents would certainly know something was wrong if she didn’t come home for dinner.  

She carefully made her way home when she heard her parents talking.  She heard the words ‘those people’.  Her mother was raising her voice while her father tried to calm her down.  When she heard the word Hogwarts, Lizzy’s heart plummeted  and she did the only thing she could think of to do.

She ran.  She ran out the door to the garage, climbed on her bike and pedaled as fast as she could down the street away from everything.

As she pedaled she had only one thing in mind, getting as far away from home as possible.  She tried not to think about what her parents were going to say when she got back.  Would they be more mad that she didn’t show up to dinner or that she was a witch?  Was she a witch?  She thought about all the things that had been happening.  As far back as she could remember she recalled making things happen when she got upset, or when she wanted something,

When Kelsey hid the  extra Halloween candy from her (she already finished hers), she found them in the bottom of their closet. She had never been able to convince them that she didn’t go looking for it.  She just found it. When she was playing with Kelsey and Sarah she made her Barbie doll glow.  She told them it was just a special Barbie doll.  Kelsey was so mad that she could never find it at the toy store.  

The only other explanation for all these strange events was that her thoughts and her system of “lucky numbers” and “bad numbers” caused it.  Lizzy couldn’t decide which was worse.  Her thoughts or bad numbers controlling her life, or being a witch- which the Bible said was bad.  It wasn’t fair ,  it’s not like she had _intentionally_ done those things.  They just happened.  If she had special powers she’d much rather have the ones in her pretend games.  Not setting things on fire when she got mad. She soon found that her surroundings were not familiar to her.

She had pedaled out so far that she didn’t know where she was.  Well, she could always just say she was running away.  Once she found a good spot she laid her bike on the side of the road and sat down to cry.  The sun was really starting to go down now and the sky was slowly darkening.  

Lizzy didn’t know what she was going to do when she was done crying.  Maybe find a place to stay.  She thought that she might be in London somewhere.  One person noticed her on the side of the road.

“Are you okay there  little miss?”

“Yeah”  Lizzy managed to rise to her feet. “I....uh just fell off my bike”  She dried her face and then got up and got back on again.   Before he could say anything else, she thanked him and rode off.  Crying wasn’t going to get her anything but attention she didn’t want.  She noticed a place on one corner, a little pub that stuck out to her.

She guessed that she was pulled in because of the name.  “The Leaky Cauldron” What a weird name.  She wasn’t sure what to do with her bike.  There was a little chain in the basket that she had left and only used to tie her bike up to a post on the playground.  She tied her bike to a post right outside the pub and nervously wondered in.  

When she walked in the first thing she noticed was that everybody was dressed strangely.  They wore long weird coats and strange hats.  The chairs  seemed to move on their own as a cleaning woman went by.  Normally it would have freaked her out,  but it seemed a little familiar to her. Reminding her of the times she made something she wanted, a crayon or a pair of scissors move to her like a magnet pulled to it’s opposite.  She was pulled two ways. On the one hand, the letter said that she was a witch, so they must be witches and wizards too....but on the other hand...they were people like her.  They made things move , or break without touching them too.   

“Can I do anything for you, Miss?”  A voice behind her said.  

A woman with blonde hair like hers was at a desk , cleaning bottles.

“I just wanted to look around.” Lizzy replied.  “Um  ...I have a question....do you know about a place called Hogwarts?”  

“Oh?  You got your letter then?  Congratulations, dear.”  the woman said,  “You know , Neville and I went there when we were young.  Very good school it was...”  

“I just got the letter” Lizzy said,  “My parents, found it and they’re kind of worried.  You see...our church says we’re not supposed to do witchcraft...no offense.”  The woman sighed, but she didn’t look offended, just sort of tired and pitying.

“Oh  I take it your parents are muggles then”

“What... no!  They’re nice and stuff’ Lizzy said , “Just a little freaked out at first.”  The woman chuckled.

“Muggle just means they can’t do magic.”  she said.

“We’re not _allowed_ to do magic though” Lizzy said, starting to get a little exasperated.  

“Dear, magic is something that is there whether you like it or not.  It was something you were born with.” the woman explained.  “Do you make things happen when you get upset.” Lizzy nodded, and sat down.

“All the time.  I had to get my own room because I broke the window.”  She curled her hair around her finger.  “I thought it was my angry thoughts causing it. and once I made the carpet catch on fire, and the lights in my school go out.  I thought I would get kicked out for that, so I was scared to tell them I did it.”

“I doubt they would have believed it.  That’s called accidental magic.  When a young witch or wizard gets upset or angry they sometimes can’t help giving off a little magic.”  

“...how do you make it stop?”  Lizzy asked.  

“That’s what Hogwarts teaches you, how to control your magic. Once you have a wand and know how to do some spellwork it’ll go away”  

“If my parents will even let me go” Lizzy sighed, “They were freaked out when they saw the letter and now that I’ve run away they’ll be mad.”  The woman gave her a small smile.

“Oh I don’t think so.  I’m sure they’re just worried about you.”  She went to cleaning another cup, “ They’ll send along someone to talk to your parents about it, they usually do that with muggle born students.”  She looked up at an old fashioned looking clock.  “Look at that it’s gotten rather late.  You know how to get home , dear?”  

“Uh...I think so....”  Lizzy said.  She tried to remember how she got to where she was now.  She hoped that her parents hadn’t sent out the police to go looking for her.  “Uh Thanks, Miss” As she left she didn’t see the innkeeper’s husband come out from the upper room.  He watched the girl leaving,  noting that she looked a bit young to be out this late.  

“What was that all about?”

“I think I just met one of your new students next term.”  his wife said giving him a peck on the cheek.  

Lizzy was relieved to see that her bike was still out tied to the post,she fumbled for the locks but found that they opened immediately upon her touch. Accidental magic. If she wasn’t still worried about whether her magic is wrong or not she would have said a prayer of thanks.  She got on the bike and started pedaling home as fast as she could, hoping, praying that her parents weren’t too mad.   She had a hard time recalling the exact route home, but as she kept going forward, the sights jarred her memory.  

Was it a miracle, or was her magic guiding her home?  

As she got close to the opening of her neighborhood, she heard a car honk. and someone calling her full name.  Her father was waving out the window of his car for her.  

Holding back tears that seemed to come from nowhere, she got off her bike and made her way over to where the car doors opened.  

“What were you thinking?”  was the first thing from his mouth, “where have you been?”  

“I was scared.  When you saw the letter,  I thought you’d be mad.”  she wiped a few tears from her eyes.  At least if they saw that she was upset too maybe they wouldn’t punish her too harshly.  “I thought if you knew I was a witch you’d hate me.”  She watched her father’s reaction closely.  He just sighed, and gave no apparent reaction to the word.  

“Don’t be ridiculous.”  He got out and helped her put her bike in  the trunk and the pulled her into a hug.  She decided she would wait to tell him about the lady in the pub.  The drive home was quiet until Lizzy nervously broke the silence.  

“So...what are you going to do about the letter?”  she asked.  He didn't’ say anything for a moment,

“I sent a letter to my stepbrother” he said, “He and his wife could do that kind of thing.  We went to his house when you and Kelsey were little, but left when we saw them doing it...”

“You left”  Lizzy said.  She remembered the confusing trip.  They arrived and played with their cousins until right before dinner time.  Their mother and father suddenly took them and left, saying they didn’t feel right staying in that house.  “Is Mom mad?”  

“No, your mother is just very worried.  About you and about the letters....she was very upset when she saw the mailing address.”  

“That was kinda weird.”  Lizzy looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.  Your mother and I know that you’re not doing it on purpose.”  Not much was said about it.  Lizzy didn’t talk about it in front of her mom and her mom didn’t seem angry at all, just worried.  Though a few days later, when  the scissors floated to her, , her mother sharply told her to get up and get them.  Later her father told her to try and control the outbursts.

Lizzy did try, but sometimes they happened anyway.  Her parents didn’t hate her, but they were convinced that she could could control it if she tried.  She _couldn’t_.  Why did she have to be magic when he parents weren’t?

One afternoon in July,  she came home from the fields to find a strange car- rather fancy looking- in the driveway.  It had a small flag with the crest from the letter on it.  Lizzy dropped her bike off in the garage and went inside to see what was going on.  This was about her after all.  

A woman with grey hair and green robes like the people in the pub was sitting at the table talking to her parents.  

“I see that, your daughter has started listening as well.  Come, in Miss Douglas.”  Lizzy froze as the lady addressed her. She came in, rather anxious.  “Your parents tell me that you have displayed signs of magic.”  

“Yeaa--yes m’am”  she noticed the way her mother was looking at her.

“You were sent a letter of invitation to attend Hogwarts.”

“Is there any reason you had to include the location of our daughter’s room?”  Mr. Douglas asked.

“That is something that is on all of the letters.  They are written by a magic quill to address all of the wizarding children in Britain.  I apologize for your discomfort.” she said. “Do you have any close relatives with wizarding abillity?”  

“A few of my step-siblings”  Mr. Douglas said, “We were distant enough that when I found out it was a wizard we were a bit shocked.”

“I see....”she nodded.  She turned to Lizzy.

“I am Professor McGonagall, the headmistress of Hogwarts.” She explained.  Lizzy could only nod letting out a quiet “Omigosh”.  She sat down still feeling extremely nervous. This was her future teacher...or her future principal.  

 “I’ve been told most of your accidental magic was accidents outside your control..”

“Yeah....I sometimes have trouble controlling my temper.”  She winced.

“Well in time you’ll learn to keep that under control. Once young wizards and witches start going to Hogwarts and learning magic properly these outbursts will for the most part, cease.”  

“For the most part?” Mrs. Douglas asked.  

“Yes, unless something happens to make her unusually angry or puts her in mortal danger” McGonagall explained.

“Extreme emotional duress” Lizzy said.  Her parents and McGongall looked over at her. “I learned it on an episode of Law and Order, It basically means when you get so upset that the law considers you not responsible for your actions.”  

“I told you that you’re too young to watch that.” Mrs, Douglas scolded.  

“But it’s interesting”  Lizzy folded her arms over her chest and slumped in her chair pouting, “I’m not a baby.”

“I suppose that is a word for it.”  McGongall went on to talk about more expectations at Hogwarts,  and that the student wouldn’t be allowed to do magic at home except to show the parents what they’ve learned.   The more Lizzy learned about this school, the more she wanted to go.  

Once she got the moment she turned to the parents.  “Can I go, please? Please please please?  I know that Frensham is a good school and all that....but I don’t want to go somewhere that I’ll just be following Nick’s A-plus record.”  Her parents naturally just told her to leave the room so they could talk, like they always did when they were considering something.  Kelsey  met her right away.  

“You’re going to witch school?”

“Maybe, is there anything wrong with that?”

“It’s witchcraft”  Lizzy sighed and rolled her eyes.

“No ….it’s an ability I have in me.  You know how things happen when I get mad?  That’s going to keep happening if I can’t control my magic.”  

“I don’t believe you...” Lizzy wanted to smack her forehead.  Her own sister was turning against her.  She tried not to let herself look sad.  

“Then come with me.”  She led Kelsey to the door and got out two cups.  They had used them before to listen in when their parents talked about something like planning a trip or going to Disneyworld (which by the way, the girls were still waiting for.)  

They listened through the door cups pressed against their ears.The first thing their mother brought up was the witchcraft issue.  She claimed that she wasn’t sure she wanted her daughter going to a school teaching all this magic.  McGonagall expressed the concern perfectly.

“I understand your concerns, my  father was a minister.  What Hogwarts teachers is not what would be considered the kind of sinister witchcraft that your rules refer to.  What it’s talking about is dark magic, and the routes muggles have taken to gain supernatural power, neither of which is taught at Hogwarts.  Dark magic is forbidden by the Ministry of Magic.  Hogwarts teaches students how to use their magic with responsibility and control.”

It took some convincing for their mother. The next things brought up were the way the school ran.  Her parents seemed concerned that the only math related course was an elective.  Of course,  she  was being invited to a good school of magic and her parents were worried she wouldn’t get enough math. Her father was concerned at the prospect of her being there at boarding school alone.  

“Thank you for the invitation but we don’t think our daughter is ready.  Maybe she could go in a few years, but not-”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing,  How could they say no?  Not ready?  Did they think she couldn’t survive without Nick to follow her around and remind her what ‘mommy and daddy’ said?  Lizzy felt a flood of disappointed tears clouding her eyes.  She shoved open the door.  

“Not ready? What happened to ‘we believe you can do anything you set your mind to’?  Am I only ready to be in some special ed program where they treat me like I’m in kindergarten? Or to have Nick watch after me?”  She heard the sound of the bulbs popping in the kitchen lights. ”Why don’t you listen to me for once, and let _me_ decide if I’m ready?”

She expected the headmistress to scold her for yelling at her parents, but McGongall just turned to her parents raising an eyebrow.  

“She raises a fair point.  I think your daughter is far more capable than you give her credit for.  Perhaps you should let her try?” she said, “But if not, I’m sure you won’t mind paying for all the repairs around the house until she is ready.”

With that the last bulb in the lights above popped and the room they were sitting in became a little darker.  Lizzy felt a little bit of satisfaction as her parents exchanged looks clearly stating that they didn’t want to have another several years of magic outbursts.  She sat down as her parents started discussing things with McGonagall and making plans to get the supplies she would need.  

Her father inquired if there were any programs that might help with a few of her ‘unique needs’.,  McGonagall seemed surprised but assure him that she would have plenty of help available from teachers and older students.  The visit ended well, and surprisingly her parents said nothing about the popped light-bulbs.

All she could think about as she went to bed that night was that she was going to Hogwarts.

 


	2. Preperations

In the days after the meeting, Lizzy found that her parents were much more understanding and patient with her, perhaps trying to avoid outbursts.  They also seemed to want to make sure that she could handle it.  One afternoon they had a talk with her about what she would expect at a boarding school.

“You’ll be away from us all for months at a time.  Will you be able to handle that?” Mrs. Douglas said, “When we were in Wilmington you used to call home all the time when kids made fun of you.  You won’t be sent home early when you’re at Hogwarts.”

“I won’t be teased though.” Lizzy said, “I’m with people just like me.” Her parents looked at each other, worried.  They didn’t believe her.  But she knew they would see.  “I’ll be fine.  I’ll write home every week.”  

“You have to remember to take your medicine, it’s very important that you take your thyroid medication.  If you don’t take it for a long time you could die” Lizzy nodded. “Will you promise us that you’ll take it?”

“I promise.  It’s not like it tastes bad or anything.” as an afterthought she added, “Are you going to give me whole bottles?”

“We’re going to send you some medicine every week, and you’ll go the nurse’s office to take it.”  

“Gotcha” Lizzy nodded, “are you really going to get a family owl?”  

“We’ll need to be able to communicate with you and your teachers.”  Her father said.

“I could get an owl”  Lizzy said.

“Elisabeth..”her mother said sternly, “Remember the fish that you promised you and Kelsey would take care of?”  

“I was seven...and besides....I won them in some contest, I couldn’t just let them die”  Lizzy pouted.  She heard a grumpy voice behind her.

“They died anyway....”  Kelsey stopped to glare at her, “and I bet it was your creepy _magic_ that killed them.”  Lizzy barely had time to say anything when her parents spoke up.

“Kelsey Amanda Douglas! Apologize to your sister and go up to your room right this minute.  We _will_ talk later.”  Kelsey pursed lips angrily, before shooting off a response

“I”m sorry you blow up everything you touch.”  before her parents could say anything she stormed up to her room. Lizzy felt her eyes water.  

“Don’t bother making her apologize.  She hates me.”  Lizzy sighed.  Before her parents could say anything else she got up and left.  As she wandered the upstairs hall, she struggled to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.  She passed her brother Nick’s room and saw him organizing his desk.  When she opened her mouth some of the tears fell like a waterfall and her voice sounded all whiny and gross. “Do you hate me too....?”

He looked up at her.  “No....is this about something Kelsey said?”

“She hates me.”

“She doesn’t _hate_ you.  She’s just confused right now.  She doesn’t understand this ability you have, and it scares her.”    Lizzy came in and sat down on his bed.  

“So she’s afraid of me?”  Lizzy wiped her nose with her sleeve.  “That’s _much_ better”

“She’ll come around.”  Nick put an arm around her.  Lizzy’s crying calmed down after a little bit.  At that moment she sort of wished Nick could be going to Hogwarts as well.  She wanted to feel grown-up by not having anyone to ‘watch after’ her,  but  she still wanted the comfort of being able to talk to someone.  

“Are you scared of me?”  Lizzy wasn’t sure she wanted to look him in the eye.  She didn’t know if she could handle Nicholas wanting distance from her. He had always been close to her, only one year apart in age despite being wildly different in maturity level and interest.

“No.  Though I’m not sure how this magic thing works.”  he admitted.  

“I don’t either.  I feel like a walking time bomb.”  Lizzy flopped back on her brother’s bed. “Professor McGonagall said that I wouldn’t have so much accidental magic once I got a wand and learned how to practice it.”

“Well that sort of makes sense scientifically” Nick started and explained some principle of energy.  Lizzy smiled a bit, at least Nick could find a way to make sense of things with science.

“I’ll send you letters every week to tell you about it. “ she said.  “You think I can make it by myself in boarding school?”

“If you apply yourself and take responsibility, sure” Lizzy sighed, and then he was sounding like their parents.  “and remember to do your homework even if you don’t like it. That’s important.”

“I know.  and I’ll like the school.   _They have no math class_ ”  Nick snorted at that. They were polar opposites in their favorite subject.  Nick loved and excelled in math, science and anything with a computer while Lizzy loved art, and writing and history.   

“You’ll have to use math at some point”

“Yeah, but it will be easy math.”  Lizzy shrugged.  “and I’ll buy a calculator or something.” She wondered if wizards had calculators.  They seemed very old school. She still worried that she would have to wear a skirt.  Then she would have to listen to people lecture her about sitting properly so she didn’t show off her knickers. (That was one of the British words she liked.  Much better than panties, which in her opinion, sounded stupid.)

In the days that passed she looked forward to school shopping with increasing excitement. Her father had arranged to meet a Hogwarts teacher in the Leaky Cauldron on August 21st.  Lizzy had showed him where it was.  He couldn’t see it unless she held his hand or put a hand on his shoulder. She was trying to convince her parents to let her get some kind of pet to bring to Hogwarts.  She was told that she could bring a cat , a toad , an owl, or a rat.

She eventually got her parents to agree to a rat, a small  pet that wouldn’t require any walking and would be easy to take care of.  They decided that it would be an early birthday present, since she would be at Hogwarts on her birthday.  She could never remember a time when she was more excited about going to school. She would spend hours imagining what might be in the books and one afternoon she rode out to the Leaky Cauldron again to just watch all the wizards and talk to the innkeeper about what they taught.  She learned that Mr. Longbottom was a professor.

She also tried to stay away from Kelsey, so as not to cause any magical accidents. She wouldn’t lie , she wished she could play with her like they used to.  But it hurt more to hear Kelsey’s stinging remarks.  Lizzy tried to put herself in Kelsey’s place, and imagine if Kelsey was suddenly making things blow up when she got scared or mad, and had some power she didn’t understand.  Lizzy figured that at least she wouldn’t deliberately try to push her. , but honestly it would be tempting to blame her power for things.  

“Maybe when I’m not here , she’ll remember I’m her sister”  she thought.  They did say that absence made the heart grow fonder.  Maybe when Kelsey got a little older she might miss having her sister in her life.  Yeah.  But she would have her own friends.

If she could make friends there.  She wanted to think that wizards would be more understanding of someone who was different.  After all, muggles thought _they_ were different, right?.  She got up again to check her calendar and when she realized what day it was she let out a squeal.  

August 21st was tomorrow!

The rest of the day seemed to pass slowly afterwards. By the time night came around Lizzy eagerly got into bed hoping that the night would pass quicker.  

“We’re going to shopping tomorrow right?”  she asked her dad as he tucked her in.  

“Yes”  She had asked three times already that day and deep down the more logical part of her knew that he was probably getting tired of her asking.  “We’ll leave after breakfast.”

“What about Nick and Kelsey?”

“Your mother will be taking them out shopping at the same time.”  He told her to try and get some sleep.  Sleep eventually came after about thirty minutes of staring at the clock.

She woke up bright and early  and  by the time she was dressed and ready , it was seven -o-clock.   She crept into her parents room and waited for them to see her.

“I’m all ready to go” she said, “so if you’re ready.”

“It’s seven in the morning Elisabeth. Go back to bed.”  

“But I’m ready; we want to leave early don’t we?”  she insisted.

“Elisabeth Danielle, _go back to your room”_

She wasn’t about to argue with that voice, so she slumped off back to her room and got out her CD player.  Until; about eight -thirty she immersed herself in playing on her computer and then when she heard people getting up she went to get her breakfast.

Well second breakfast. She had a few more bowls of cereal and hurried to get her stuff together to be ready as soon as possible.  She even brushed her hair for five minutes straight.  Afterward she hovered by her parents hoping they would notice.

“I’ve done everything on my morning checklist.”  She leaned on her father’s chair “Can we go now?”

“I think you’d best take Lizzy now, or she just might burst with excitement.”  Finally!  It was about time they noticed.  She waited as her parents said goodbye.

“Bye mom!” Lizzy waved. On the trip there she directed her father the whole way.  Lizzy had to direct her father to the pub and it was a frustrating ordeal with him getting confused and her trying to give directions which was something she wasn't exactly any good at.  But at some point she found that when she put a hand on his shoulder he was able to find the place. She led him in, insides still bubbling with butterflies and excitement.

When she passed Mrs. Longbottom she gave a little wave.  A few of the regulars seemed to recognize her too.

Meanwhile she noticed her dad looking uneasy. She wondered if it bothered him that she was seemingly so friendly with people in a pub.

A girl no bigger than Lizzy seemed to be one of those regulars, sitting near the wall that they would have to get to Diagon Alley through.  The young girl seemed to be sitting on an old, rusty cart, like one would use at King's Cross station, playing with an action figure of some humanoid robot with large, robust wings.

A stern older man who appeared to be in his early fifties approached the back wall of the pub, scratching his head, where his hair appeared to be shorn into a military buzz cut, yet feathered in a way.  He gripped his falcon-head cane for a moment, looking around until he found who appeared to be a lost-looking gentleman and an excited child.  "Hello, sir.  Young miss.  Are you, perhaps, looking to find the entrance to Diagon Alley to do school shopping for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

Lizzy answered before her father could "Yep! Are you one of my teachers"

"Elisabeth calm down" her father said.  "Yes. Hello, I'm David Douglas, Elisabeth's father."

"Dad...it's Lizzy....the last time a you told a teacher my name was Elisabeth she called me that all year" Lizzy complained.  She said she would try to remember, but did she?  Nope

"I am Professor Horus Falconcrest of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  Professor Falconcrest would bow his head.  "If you would follow me Mr. Douglas and young miss Douglas, I will open the entrance."  He would then tap the falcon-head of the cane in a certain sequence on a few bricks.  The wall would split open to reveal the broad streets of Diagon Alley.  "Welcome to Diagon Alley, where we will be assisting young Miss Douglas in her school shopping."

Lizzy could barely restrain herself from giving a little squeal "Awesssssome!"   Her father sighed feeling like this was going to be a long day.  Another squeak could be heard nearby; the little girl that had been playing with her toy robot stuffed her toy back inside her duffel bag and hopped off her cart.

Professor Falconcrest would lead the Douglases through the entrance; the quiet young girl with her hair in pigtails followed, then took off toward the shop to buy a cauldron.

"The first stop, I believe, should be Gringotts, the bank.  You no doubt have brought Muggle money, yes?  Pounds, Pence, the like?"  He kept his formal tone while leading the family toward Gringotts.

"Yes.  I take it they can be exchanged"  Mr. Douglas asked. He had made sure to bring a good deal of money for the worry that supplies might be expensive.

Lizzy was busy taking all the sights in . People in cloaks and hats with cauldrons, and owls flying about in broad daylight.  For a moment she ran backwards and stepped over a crack in the street and returned.

"Stay with me you could get lost here" her father whispered.

"But Dad...I almost stepped on one of the cracks..."  Mr. Douglas sighed and shook his head.  His daughter could be very particular about her rituals.

"Yes, which is why we are going to Gringotts first."  Professor Falconcrest replied.  "The bank is always a good first stop, regardless of wizard or muggle, I say."  It was as though the professor seemed to have experienced muggle life before.

He would take a quick glance when he saw Lizzie's quick avoidance of the cracks.  "I will be careful to keep you on the cobblestones with fewer cracks."  His eyes seemed almost hawk-eyed.  Or more specifically, as well-honed as a falcon's.

Lizzy nodded and continued to follow. Other wizards were doing their shopping as well.

Nearby a dark haired scruffy young man in his late twenties seemed to be attempting to sneak off into Knockturnalley without anyone noticing.

She  noticed the sign nearby..."Knock turn alley....nocturnally....."  She giggled a little bit.

"Ah yes, you seem to be able to tell that the Wizarding world is quite fond of puns."  Falconcrest gave an amused smile.  "Though I would not suggest going down that shady alley." Mr. Douglas was quick to agree to that.  He had been eyeing the alley with distrust.

A little red-haired boy followed a trio of red-haired men, each with various red-feathered birds on their shoulders.  "Can we go to Fortescue's after I get me books?"

"I dare say it is the wizarding equivalent of what you muggles call...'the black market'."  Falconcrest frowned.  "I would not be caught DEAD or ALIVE in that alley."

There was a barely audible 'eep' as a twelve year old boy, who had been in there on an errand for his aunt, panicked.  He tried to hide rather hastily when he saw his transfiguration professor.  Falconcrest glanced out of the corner of his eye and gave a frown for a moment before continuing toward Gringotts.  He held the door open.  "Right this way."

Lizzy hurried forward while her slightly stressed father followed after.

Falconcrest led them to a goblin teller that specialized in exchanges.  "Good afternoon, Gripclaw.  We have a muggle-to-wizard exchange."

The goblin nodded "Very well."

Mr. Douglas placed his money on the table a bit hesitantly.  He had been sure to get it in cash because he wasn't sure how wizards would handle a debit card.

The goblin would count carefully and type into an old-fashioned adding machine, then hand over several golden galleons, a few silver sickles, and nine bronze knuts.  It was more than enough to get the school supplies with...and have enough left over for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor if they so chose.

"Now that you have money, we ought best head to Flourish and Blotts for textbooks.  Come quickly, come quickly." Lizzy rushed forward excitedly.

 "Hey...erm...sir...the letter said something about no broomsticks for first years.  What's that about, and why can't first years have one?"  She didn't sound upset just a bit curious. She had a suspicion about what those did but she had never asked anyone about it, even on her trips to the Leaky Cauldron.

"It is mostly for the safety of young students who have not yet learned to fly on a broomstick."  Professor Falconcrest gave a stern, but understanding look.  "I can understand why many youngsters want brooms--they quite convenient transportation for young witches and wizards, and one can play Quidditch on them--but, as with a youngster's magic, their ability to ride a broom must be trained."

"Oh"  Lizzy nodded.  "....well.....that sound like it involves being really high up"  She gave an involuntary twitch. She wouldn't care too much about not being able to ride a broomstick. As they emerged from the bank she looked around taking in the scenery.

"It does, yes."  Professor Falconcrest nodded sympathetically.  "I quite like the method myself but I understand why others do not."

She swung a bit between wanting to talk and wanting to keep quiet lest she say the wrong thing.She didn’t know the unwritten social laws of this community, she barely knew her own. When the bookstore came into view she bolted ahead.  She loved bookstores.

Mr. Douglas sighed but allowed it.  To think the headmistress wondered why they were unsure about sending her off to boarding school on her own.

“There will be a way to keep in contact with the school, right?" he asked the profesor.

"We have owl post, though if you prefer a more muggle mode of communication we are working on enchanting a telephone for the Headmistress' office."  Professor Falconcrest spoke. 

Another girl, the girl from the Leaky Cauldron, ran in after Lizzy, still dragging her trolley, and a few supplies behind her.

"Hi"  Lizzy waved, always one to be eager to make friends.

"I see...thank you.  We were considering getting an owl, but that would be much easier."

"I would still consider getting that owl in case our plans are not to pan out."  Falconcrest gave a stern look.  "Even magic can go wrong sometimes." Mr. Douglas nodded.

The girl with the trolly squeaked lightly.  "Um, h-hello.

"Are you going to Hogwarts too?"

 "Yeah!  It'll be my first year." The girl smiled nervously while getting her books.

"Mine too."  She  looked back to notice her father and professor talking. She plucked a book from the shelf, on charming food and looked through it.  All of the spells looked so unfamiliar but the food looked delicious

The girl peeked over Lizzy's shoulder for a moment.  All that food--too bad she'd probably never get to eat like that.  She'd often been yelled at for wanting second helpings even when there was plenty to go around.

"One day we'll know how to make all this"  she said.

"I'unno...even if I learn to make all of it, I'll never get to eat it.  I do everything and never get anything for all my work..."

"...oh"  Lizzy said, "well maybe Hogwarts will be different.  The teachers seem really nice".  Well the two she had met anyway.

"Maybe...but we all know I'll just have to do everything for my ungrateful family anyway..."  The girl murmured.  "Don't see why my brother who never gets good grades and starts a buncha delinquency deserves all the attention and praise..."

Lizzy didn't really know what to say, "I'm sorry about that." She put away the book and got a new one.

"Well uh, maybe I can call you"  she said, "Oh, My name's Lizzy by the way"

The girl herself seemed intent on a book about wizarding toys and toy enchantment.  "M-my n-na-name's Mary."

"Hey  maybe I can send you some letters with the owl my parents are getting."

"and if we get to know each other at school , I bet my parents will let you come over."

"M-ma-ma-m-maybe..."  Mary strained to speak.  It was obvious something was wrong with her speech, no matter how much she tried to draw attention away from it.

Lizzy didn't seem to notice.  She had her own issues with her tics.  Every now and then she would twitch or wince but seemed to pay no mind, hoping no one else would either.

"So, are you spending the rest of your summer at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yeah.  I'm not spending another nanoklik...I mean second...in that house while my grandparents are there.  They practically all but screamed that I was Satan’s child."

"...That's horrible" Lizzy said, she didn’t really know what to say. "I'm sorry. that's not very fair, You can't help being a witch. Just like I can't" Her eyes lit up as she had an idea. "Well…m-my house isn't too far from here,and we have a few days of vacation left. We can study our books together ahead of time."

"I-I dunno...I mean...all my stuff's at the L-Le-leaky Cauldron..."  Mary murmured.

"Oh...well, I can come over here with my books, I'm sure I can put them in my backpack.  If we have all of our studying done before school starts we'll be prepared!” As much as she normally found studying boring, she did want to be ready for a new school.  This time , for once she wanted to start off with a good impression.  Prove from the beginning that she wasn’t one of the ‘special’ kids, and could be just as smart as anyone else.

She heard her father calling for her. "Oh...I gotta go. But I'll ride my bike here for the last days of summer."

"A-alright."  Mary murmured.  She pulled out her large-winged robot figure and spoke softly to it.

Professor Falconcrest motioned.  "We will need to get a cauldron for potions class.  Quickly, Quickly, this way."

"Dad, I made a new friend already"  Lizzy said to her father.  She knew it already, school was going to be great. They followed the professor out.

Professor Falconcrest gave a faint smile.  "A new friend.  With such luck you will be making friends rather quickly." 

A pair of twelve-year-old boys rushed by--one tall and lanky and dark-haired holding a double scoop cone of orange sherbet, and one short and slightly stocky and blond-haired holding a double scoop cone of rocky road.  The two would pause at the sight of Falconcrest, and the taller, dark-haired twin grinned.  "Afternoon, Professor!  Don't you worry, Sonny and I will be getting our books after our icecream!"

Lizzy  waved .  She was getting really excited for the upcoming year with all these other fellow kids.

As they headed to the Cauldron shop Lizzy plucked the letter from her Dad's pocket and looked at it.

"This is a lot of stuff"

"Standard pewter cauldron, size 2."  Falconcrest spoke.  "That would be these ones on this shelf."

Her father picked one up, while Lizzy just looked around, "Oooh this one's collapsible...Might be useful when I get older,"

"When you have your own money, maybe" Mr. Douglas said.

"Aw." Lizzy sighed.

"Now now, your father is correct.  It is to be a standard one, not a collapsible."

"I guess..."she shrugged, "I just figured a collapsible one would be less heavy."

As an afterthought she added, "Do wizards use backpacks here to carry their stuff?  I mean I know a lot of primary schools do, and the elementary schools back in Wilmington did" she commented as her dad paid for the cauldron.

"Normally, a standard school bag will suffice, yes."  Professor Falconcrest nodded.

".......I'm guessing my Pokemon bag doesn't count" the young girl sighed.  That had been her favorite bag and she promised her parents that she would try and keep it around until 8th grade.

"If it can carry your things" Mr. Douglas shrugged. That might be a good question , some of this stuff looked really bulky and big

"Well if it can't…..  I can always just use it for my art and sketchbooks and markers and notebooks.  I'd go crazy if I had to spend a whole year away from them"  She swore she'd sneak her CD player in there somehow.   She looked back at the list, "Well we've got  my books and cauldron...."

"It should be no problem."  Professor Falconcrest gave a faint smile.  "If it can carry your school supplies, it is permitted."

The next few stores were fairly simple, getting little things like telescopes and scales.  In the apothecary Lizzy had to go outside because she found it hard to breath, with the smell overwhelming her.

At the robes store she ended up talking to a wizard a year older than herself who was very picky about his robes.

"Rhine, I'm not going stay here all day" A woman in deep purple robes said. "If you don't pick something in ten minutes  you'll be spending the night here." She looked at her pocket-watch and sighed.  When a young witch who looked about thirteen came out her mother looked down at her clothes, plain robes accentuated with a bit of yellow.  "You sure that's all you want?"

"Yes Mum" The girl blinked in surprise upon seeing her professor, "Oh hello Professor"

Falconcrest nodded to the girl.  "Good afternoon." 

Attendants nearby seemed to be measuring a fidgety girl that at first could only be seen from behind.  "Unh!  D-don't touch my feet okay?"

The girl turned to the indecisive young wizard, "Rhine if you don't choose something in two minutes I'll charm whatever you pick bright green, like lime green that you can see from a mile away in the dark." She smirked.

"...You are evil."

He sighed, "Fine, I'll take these"  he settled on a set of nice and slightly pricy robes with gold fasteners. "and there's no need to be jealous that I got the style, Shay"

"....keep it up and I will charm your hair bright neon green"

Rhine ran a hand through his hair mussing it up just as he liked it.  "Oh 'ello Professor!"

The girl turned around as a cloak was tailored on her and frowned at the bickering siblings.  Her eyes lit up a little at Lizzy.

"Hi!"  Lizzy went over to talk to her new friend.  "This place is awesome isn't it all these shops, I mean"

"For the most part...though I don't think I'll really have enough money for the place I really, really wanna go..."

"Where's that?"

"I...I really w-wa-want to go to For-Fote-Fort-Fortescue's."

"Like...that Ice creamplace?  Lizzy asked.

"Y-yeah, th-that one."  Mary murmured.  "I'll barely be able to afford my wand...and I've been saving this money up since Primary School..."

"Oh, well, I've got a little bit of money left over from my last birthday.  Maybe I can get it converted and we can go out to tomorrow or the next day. How's that sound?" She hadn’t really known what to do with the remainder of it, but this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

The witch who was with Rhine and Shaya apologized to Madame Malkin for all the trouble and left reminding the two teenagers to not be so loud.

Mary brightened up.  "I-I'd like that."  She seemed to crook a finger in front of her mouth until one of Madam Malkin's attendant's tugged her arm back down.

" uh,  hey Do you like Pokemon?" Lizzy asked.

"A little."  Mary squeaked.  "D-Do you like Tra-Transformers?"

"Um well I don't know much about it, but it sounds cool"  She didn't seem to know much about it  but her enthusiasm clearly showed she was eager to learn.

"Oh! I gotta show you my Starscream figure.  I've had him forever."  Mary grinned.

"Ooh."  Lizzy said, "You know I have a pikachu pencil topper  I need to show you."

"Oh and do you like art stuff?  I have a whole bunch of art stuff I'm bringing"

"I love art stuff!  I have a whole bunch of it that I'mma bring too, maybe I can make my drawings move like cartoons or something!"

As Lizzy was fitted she kept on talking. She couldn't wait for school to begin now. "I hope we're in the same house"  She wasn't exactly sure what house she would end up in, from what she heard about the houses. She didn't think she was very brave, and she didn't like what she heard about Slytherin's reputation. She imagined she'd be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw

Mary, of course, hadn't heard much about many of the houses in Hogwarts--she'd only heard of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

This time before Lizzy left she got her dad to give her a scrawled note with an address on it and handed it to Mary."Now we can write letters to each other over the summer."

Mary would give a soft nod and smile with a faint "Thank you". Lizzy replied with a smile , feeling just as much like saying thank you as well.  Often people she met found her overbearing, clingy or annoying, or just way too obsessive.  She didn't expect to make a friend this fast.

Professor Falconcrest would be motioning toward the last stop on the shopping trip, and no doubt the one that most young witches and wizards looked forward to--getting the wand at Ollivander's.

Before she left she gave a little wave and whispered "See you soon". When she approached the store she looked on at it in awe.  She was one half excited, one half nervous, and one half shocked.

Wait...that was three halves.  Oh well, she didn't like math anyway.

She was oddly quiet as she entered.

They were greeted by the wandmaker, Ollivander, who gave his usual explanation about wandlore and his rather cryptic observation that the wand chose the wizard.  For the most part, this often seemed true.

Mr. Douglas watched but didn't say anything.  As some muggle parents might be he was a bit concerned and uneasy about such a powerful thing being in the hands of a child so young.  He was unsure about this world, and honestly worried for the things his daughter might face, that he and her mother wouldn't be able to help with.  They wouldn't be able to help their daughter when she had a question about her homework.  They didn't know what it was like to have magic and they couldn't tell her they went through the same thing when they were her age.

Lizzy found herself nervous as well. This had been the thing that she had worried about most.

This was the thing that a part of her was dreading as well as anticipating. When she was asked to she stuck out her wand hand.  Her 'ticcing' seemed slightly more frequent as overexcited the tape measure measured her. It made her nervous moving on its own like that.

After the measurements, Ollivander first tried an oak wand with phoenix tailfeather core.  However, before Lizzy was  able to try anything, he yanked the wand back; it didn't seem to have the response he would have liked...

Lizzy huffed, she never even got a chance to try. She watched him waiting for the next wand he would pull out.

Ollivander would then pull out one made from Hazel wood, with a Unicorn's heartstring for a core. "Hrm.  Try it..."  He murmured softly.

She took it and instantly felt warmth in her fingers. She gave it a wave and sparks flew out “hey Daddy, check it out" Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she turned to her father.

"Aha!  Yes, that one is the one."  Ollivander gave a bright look.  "That one's the one that chose you."

"Cooool"

Mr. Douglas smiled and congratulated his daughter before calmly asking how much the wand would be. Ollivander  gave him  the price, which hadn't changed since his ancestors had set up the wand shop centuries ago.

The money was exchanged and they left the store as Lizzy examined her wand giving it a little flick every now and then

Just as Lizzy left, it seemed that Mary had slipped into the shop, still dragging her trolley behind her.  Professor Falconcrest lifted a brow.

 "There are still a few more shops you may go to.  I suggest Eeylops Emporium--many children often find an animal companion to be a calming influence at school."

"Well we promised Lizzy she could get something small for a pet to start with." Her parents wanted to be sure she could take care of an animal before they entrusted her with a big one. "But we did have plans to get a a family owl to keep in touch."

"Then let me direct you to the shop--to get a family owl for communication...and a pet for young Miss Douglas."  Falconcrest seemed to have a soft, jovial side hidden amongst that sternness. They picked out a medium sized owl and Lizzy spent quite awhile looking for a pet for herself.

"Well...I wanted to get a mouse or a rat" she said told her father, "But that would be kinda silly  since owls eat rats" She looked around at some of the cats . "I know you said a small pet....but I really want a cat." Besides a cat was too big for an owl to carry off.

"Maybe when you're older."  It wasn’t a definite ‘no’ but a "we'll see"

However she did find another critter that caught her interest.  An orange puffskein "Look at this!  He's so cute!"

Mr. Douglas relented and Lizzy eagerly picked out supplies for her new pet which she naturally named 'Raichu'.

Falconcrest give a quirked brow.  Puffskeins were becoming more popular and legal at Hogwarts but he was still reluctant to encourage it.

"He's like a little poofball!"

"That he does..that he does."  Falconcrest nodded.  He could see the blond twin from earlier racing into Eeylops as he led the Douglases out.  "Ah, probably getting his owl some treats.  Sonny does spoil that bird so..."

"Thank you very much" Mr. Douglas said.  "..now...the headmistress mentioned some arrangements about medications...."

He was reluctant to completely trust magic remedies for his daughter, when pills were what was proven to work. "Would medications be allowed within the school with a note from a doctor?"

"All medications are allowed with a note from a doctor or trained healer, yes."  Falconcrest nodded.  "In this case a doctor's note will suffice."

"Thank you, we'll get back to you on that ASAP” Mr. Douglas said. He stopped to get a vanilla chocolate-swirl ice cream cone at Fortescue’s and left.  On the way home her father told her, as she finished her ice cream, that he would be taking the school stuff and keeping it safe until school started. 

“Well I kind of wanted to go to the Leaky Cauldron again to see my friend.”

“Sweetie, the Leaky Cauldron is a pub…a _bar_.”

“It’s also an inn.  The lady who runs the place is really nice and her husband is a Hogwarts teacher.”

“Well…as long as you tell someone before you go.” He said. 

“I finally have a friend now, Dad” she pleaded.  He gave a heavy sigh. 

“Fine just check with us before you go and don’t spend too long.”  Lizzy nodded and returned to her ice cream.  She honestly didn’t expect to have the wand by her at all times and really didn’t want to.  The power of it made her a little scared. When they got in the door, she ignored her sister’s glaring and complaints about not getting ice cream. 

In the days afterward her parents insisted on taking her on their trips to get clothing.  Her mother was insistent on getting some good clothes.  Lizzy was okay with the clothes even though the shades of white black and grey were boring.  The only thing she was adamant about was not wearing a skirt. Skirts felt funny and there was just something unnatural…perhaps vulnerable about how easily people could see your underwear.  

“Besides….then you wouldn’t have to worry about people seeing my underwear if I forget to sit properly. “she said.  That was what really convinced her mother. 

She managed to get one free day where she could meet up with Mary.  The two of them had ice cream at Fortescues and talked about expectations of the school.  It only served to make Lizzy more excited to go.  Four days never felt so long. 


End file.
